1. The cultural and institutional background of reforms in the Polish higher education 1989-2009 dr Dominik Antonowicz Institute of Sociology Nicolas Copernicus University in Torun

2. Revolutions destoy the old regime

3. A day after revolution… Revolutions usuallly aim to destroy the ancient regime with a vague idea what is going to be after revolutions come to the end. Revolution is a spontanous problem-driven, short-term action, not a reform-plan with performance indicators. In Poland, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and a market economy were only slognas that reuqired institutional foundations to become parts of reality. But at least direction of change was fairly unqestionale. Deep economic crises in the begining of transformation should have made the higher education to re-think its rationale, identity and foundations, its ethos, codes of behavior and primarily allegiances and loyalties. But, there was no such a thing as thinking of a new model of university, new role of higher education, etc. Despite a significant role of an academic community in the revolution of 1989, the situation of a university was not an issue at all. University autonomy was the only postulate that was raised and immidiately fullfilled.

4. There Is No Alternative… World Society Higher education

5. World Society Transnational organizations Higher education Instituions Culture, values and norms Mentality of people in HE

6. Richard Nisbett’s study on the Southern Culture of Honour Richard Nisbett researched on the Southern Culture of Honour aimed to check the impact of the culture of honour decades after the social and economic conditions that formed it - disappeared. He did by reasearch using two methods: A. comparing male students’ attitudes at the Michigan State University who were disturbed „accidentally” by the intruder. B. verifying attitudes of companies (on the North and South in the USA) toward people who had a criminal record as a result of violence used in a name of honour (or property) Nisbett came to the following conclusion: Despite the fact that social and economic conditions that had formed the southern culture of honour had disappeared decades ago, the essence of the culture remains strong. One cannot change the culture (values, attitudes, habbits) by simly changing social and economic conditions.

7. Partitions of Poland (1795-1918)

9. Hypothesis 1. The transnational pressure to „modernize” higher education institutions has extremely different outcome on public and private HEI regardless the fact that they share the same academic staff. 2. Academics demonstrate different sets of values and attitudes, accepts contradictory norms in different institutional settings. Public-Private in HEI dynamics becomes a fascinating theme to research 3. The (a) institutional settings (structure), (b) culture, © people’s mentality had a profound role in shaping higher education in Poland after 1989 and explains why (in certain areas) the dominant model was rejected. 4. The more institutions are rooted into tradition, the longest history they had, the more difficult is to change their fabrics and the way they tend to function. 5. Private higher education institutions that had no institutional background, had not develop distinctive culture and did not have their own staff, therefore they can easily adopted new model of higher education.

10. The background of the Polish higher education 1. Self-governance of academic community 2. Political autonomy of the Polish universities 3. Pauperisation of academic community 4. Lack of infrastructural development 5. High status of university professors

11. Self-governance of academic community Since 1945 higher education operated in extremely difficult conditions of a totalitarian state without freedom of speech, free press, voluntary associations etc. The communist party and the state apparatus worked together to control any part of social life. The academic community remained under strong political pressure and tried desperately to protect its professional autonomy and self-governance. Despite the political repressions academic community remained one of aspect of social life that preserved at least limited autonomy. Almost any state’s nomination (to an academic position) was perceived as an act of violence on academic community and aganist its self-governaning principles. Most of academic developed such as strong mistrust and anty-state attitudes that despite the democratic revolution, they cannot make. Self-governance of an academic community became a foundation of a university in a democratic environment.

12. Political autonomy of the Polish universities Universities play an important role in preserving national culture and language in XIX century (1795-1918). The Polish universities became symbols of national independence and intellectual and economic development. Universities were established in biggest Polish cities to strength countries cultural and political integrity (Bildung). It was an invisible link between the state and the universities with a strong role of universities in a nation-state builiding. During the IIWW the Polish universities were infrastructural and intellectually destroyed by either Germans or Russians. Both occupants aimed to take over universities and incorporate their intellectual heritage. Universities were the centers of democratic opposition under the communist regime. The communist state to some extend tolerated some „peculiarity” of academic institutions. Both students and academics were the steaming wheel of the revolution of 1989. The autonomy of the university was meant to be a symbol of a new relationship between the state and the universities.

13. Pauperisation of academic community The communist state was very suspicious about the academics who were seen as hostile to the regime. One of the most effective way to deprive academics was to keep their economic status on the minimum level of physical existence. For academics, their unprivileged economic situation was linked to the communist regime not a centrally-planned economy. At the same time the state was the only source of financial support. They became totally depended from the state. The collapse of the system raised the expectation as to the state financial support for the academic community. The expectations were direct to the state. After decades of financial misery, it was a great demand for raising academic salaries but the transformation the industrial economy brought different political priorities.

14. Infrastructural development The communist regime deprived not only individual academics but also universities. Neither ruling workers’ party (PZPR) nor the industrial model of economy suits the university development. Industrial economy - based on the heavy industry and exploitation of mineral resources – was not supportive in developing research or teaching higher education. Since 1945 all the universities, research and teaching infrastructure rely solely on public subsidies. Universities (also individuals) developed a wide range of strategies to apply public resources that were distributed on the basis of neither transparent nor meritocrtaic criteria. The post-war period is defined as a continuous depravation of university infrastructure, in particular in research infrastructure. But at the same time universities were unable to obtain financial resources anythere but the state.

15. High status of university professors A university professor has always experienced a privilege position in society. It was associated with their wisdom, dignity, selflessness curiosity and almost unlimited social trust. Academic professor remain a symbol of values, esteem, distance from the materialistic world and ethical behaviour. They were/are the elite. A privilege status of professors allow them to be completely unaccountable and nontransparent. They were enjoying unquestionable authority over professional and also administrative matters.

16. Conclusions 1. There are hostile attitudes toward any form of political interference into the academic community or reforms of higher education. The sense of a guild remains very strong. 2. Autonomy of universities became a „holy cow” that under no circumstances can be limited or conditional. 3. There is a strong belief that that the state must pay academic salary regardless their activity. Any form of competitive mechanisms are often threat to spirit de corps of academic community. 4. Universities do not tend to seek to financial resources outside the public realm. They see that it is a state’s social obligation to finance their needs. 5. Only professors (in particular) have authority to evaluate higher education policy regardless that no person can judge a case in which they have an interest. On the institutional level they are not very enthusiastic about evaluation of teaching and research. 6. Humanists and social scientists are very reluctant to the idea of modernization of higher education 7. The private higher education intuitions lead in a adopting global model of a university.

17. Thank you for your attention